Electric lamp adapter



Feb. 5, 1946. E. B. NOEL ELECTRIC LAMP ADAPTER Filed Oct. 13, 1944ZNVENTUR E WARD E1. NUEL /-//5 ATmRA EY Patented Feb. 5, 1946 ELECTRICLADIP ADAPTER Edward B. Noel, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor toGeneral Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application October13, 1944, Serial No. 558,519%

2 Claims.

My invention relates to adaptersfor electric lamps and its principalobject is to provide an adapter comprising a bayonet socket engagingpart and a socket part into which a lamp base may be inserted andremoved by force applied longitudinally of the adapter. Other objectsand advantages of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription thereof and from the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 isa front elevational, partly sectional view of an adapter embodying myinvention and a fragmentary View of the base end of a lamp of a typeinsertable into the socket part of the adapter; Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the lamp base disposed in the adapter; Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe adapter shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of thelamp base shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary,sectional view of the adapter rotated 90 from the position shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing the adapter I has a socketportion 2 comprising a plurality of lamp base gripping, spring fingers 3disposed in a circle and a bayonet socket engaging portion 4 providedwith a pair of indexing and locking contact pins 5 and B. The lamp I isa photofiash lamp of the type disclosed in my copending applicationSerial Number 530,667, filed April 12, 1944, and comprises a lighttransmitting bulb 8 and an electrically insulating base 9 having a pairof electric contacts or terminals I6 and II disposed and exposed on thebottom or web portion I2 of the base 9 (Fig. 4). The contacts In and IIare bent-over extensions of the current inlead wires I3 and I4 whichextend into the lamp bulb 8 from the base 9 and which may support theusual igniter and the combustible, light emitting material (not shownfor purposes of simplicity of illustration) in the bulb 8. The base 9 isprovided with a pair of diametrically opposed flanges I5 and is (Fig. 4)which are engaged and gripped by the spring fingers 3 of the adapter I(Fig. 2) to hold the lamp 1 firmly in the adapter I.

The adapter I is made up of an outer shell consisting of resilientmetal. The shell has a solid walled, cylindrical portion I! having aninwardly extending flange I8 at one end thereof which defines an openingaccommoidating an electrically insulating, hollow cylindrical bushametal nut 23. The bushing I9 is held in position against flange I8 bythe pins 5 and 6 pass ing through the wall of the shell portion l1 andterminating inside the bushing I9 (Fig.1).

Th socket engaging part 4 extends with uni form bore an appreciabledistance from the free surface of bushing l9. The spring fingers3-extending from shell portion I1 flare outward to form bottom wall 24and then turn in the direction of the adapter longitudinal axis to .formthe base gripping, socket part 2 of the adapter I.

The part I of the adapter accommodates a metal ring contact 25 which isin the form of a sleeve 26 slidable longitudinally along the part 4.Thesleeve26- has an inwardly extending flange 21 at its nd portionextending into the socket part 2 of the adapter I. A metal spring 28 isaftlxed, as by clamping or soldering, to the under side of flange 2'!and rests against the free surface of the electrically insulatingbushing I9 to support the ring contact 25 partially within the spacedefined by the bottom wall 24 and the side wall having spring fingers 3of the socket part 2. One end of the spring 28 passes through thebushing I9 (Fig. 5) and the flange I8 of the portion Il. It is afiixedto the latter as shown at 29, as by soldering, to make a positiveelectrical connection therewith. The ring contact 25 engages withcontact II on the base 9 when the latter is inserted into the socketportion 2 of the adapter I (Fig. 2).

The ring contact 25 is concentric with a metal pin contact having ashank 3| and a flattened, lamp contact engaging head 32 supported in acommon plane with flange 27 of the ring contact 25 by a metal spring 33.The spring 33 is aflixed to the under side of the head 32, as bysoldering or clamping, surrounds the pin shank SI and rests against thetop of screw 2I extending beyond nut 23. One end of spring 33 passesthrough an offset opening in nut 23 (Fig. 5) and. is affixed therein asby soldering o clamping. The shank SI of the pin 39 is slidably disposedin the bore of the screw 2 I.

When the lamp base 9 is out of the socket 2 the contact flange 21 andthe contact head 32 are in socket portion 2 as shown in Fig. 1. The lampbase 9 is inserted in the adapter by moving the lamp I longitudinallytoward the adapter I until the bottom of the base 9 engages the bottomwall 24 of socket portion 2 (Fig. 2). With base 9 in this position thesprings 28 and 33 force the contact flanges 2'! and contact head 32firmly against the base contacts I I and Ill, respectively, to establishgood electrical contact therewith.

Then the surfaces of the fingers 3 sloping downwardly from the. ridges3.4 engage; the flanges t5;

and [6 so thatthe force. exerted inwardlyby the spring fingers retainsthe base 9 in the socket 28 and 33 against the base contacts II and l9,

l0 portion 2 against the force exerted by the springs;- t

respectively; The lamp base 9 is thus iheldfirm-lyin the socket portion2 and after being flashed by the usual means now muse forflashing suchphotoflash lamps it may be pulled out of the socket'part 2 forreplacement, by an unflashed lamp,

The adapter 1 makes possible the use of photoflash lamps equipped withbases of the type shown in the drawing and described above in existing;equipment, such asphotoflash lamp units, in-- tended to be used withlamps provided with single contact, candelabra bases; Further, by usingthe adapter described above in conjunction with existing, andcommercially available adaptershaving ascrew base portion and asinglecontact, candelabra socketportion lamps having thebasfes describedherein may beused with present equip- A ment provided with screw typesockets.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnitedStates is:

1. An adapter for an electric lamp having spaced; electricterminalsexposed on the bottom of a base, said adapter comprising; ashell; having minal engaging head concentric with the said a socketengaging portion, and a socket portion having lamp base gripping springfingers, and spring mounted, spaced, electric contacts normallyprojecting from the interio oflsaid socket engaging portion into saidsocket portion for engaging the terminals of an inserted lamp, one ofsaid contacts being a sleeve slidable along the bore O saidsocketengaging portion and; having an inwardly extending, lamp terminalengaging flange at its end in said socket portion, another of saidcontacts being a 'pin supported with its lamp terflangef V 2;- Anadapter forqan electric lamp having spaced, electric terminals exposedon the bottom of a base; said adapter comprising a shell havingafincket, en flging-mrtion, a socket portion having I a plurality oflamp base gripping spring fingers,

and; spring mounted, spaced, electric contacts normally pr jecting. fromthe interior of said socket. engaging rportion into, said socket portionfor engaging the terminals of an inserted lam-p, one of said contactsbeing. a'hollow sleeve. slidable, along the, bore of the socket engagingportion and having an inwardly extending, lampter-l minal engaging,flange at its, end;- in, said socket portion, another ofsai'dcontactsbeing apinsupe ported, within said sleeve contact with its lampterminal engaging head conc ntric with the. flange of. the sleevecontact, said contacts, being. subfported'by the'socket, engaging ortionof said adapten EDWARD B'. NOEL;

